Braywood CofE First School

About Braywood CofE First School

Braywood CofE First School was rated Good overall in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a step down from the Outstanding it held in its previous inspection in 2011. The inspection report shows that while the school's overall effectiveness is Good, inspectors awarded its personal development the highest mark of Outstanding. The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all judged Good, and early years provision was also rated Good. This is a small school with just 114 pupils on roll, and it serves children from age 3 to 9, meaning there is no Key Stage 2 SATs data to compare against the local authority average of 64% reaching the expected standard. The most telling academic metric is the school's oversubscription rate: for the 2025/26 intake, Braywood received 59 applications for just 29 places, with 21 of those going to first-preference families. That ratio of just over two applicants per place suggests strong local demand, even without published exam results.

Because Braywood is a first school ending at Year 4, its pupils do not sit the usual Key Stage 2 SATs that most primary schools use as a benchmark. Instead, families will need to look at how well the school prepares children for the transition to a middle school. The Ofsted report noted that personal development is Outstanding, which covers how well the school supports pupils' character, resilience, and wider development. The school's Church of England foundation is reflected in its chapel on site, and the inspection found behaviour and attitudes to be Good. With only 0.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is notably less disadvantaged than the national average. The school's previous Outstanding rating in 2011 shows a history of high performance, though the most recent inspection suggests some areas have slipped. For parents weighing options, the nearest Outstanding-rated school in the local authority is Braywick Court School, 3.8 km away.

Braywood sits in the Windsor and Maidenhead local authority, where only 7 out of 46 primary schools hold an Outstanding rating. The school itself offers a solid range of facilities for its size, including an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, and a library. Sports provision covers football, netball, dance, cricket, swimming, athletics, and tennis, and there are clubs for drama, gardening, and choir. The school's SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and profound learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Nursery provision is available for the youngest children. With 114 pupils against a capacity of 150, the school is not full, yet it is oversubscribed, meaning it is a popular choice for local families. This is a school that will suit parents looking for a Church of England primary with strong personal development and a wide range of facilities, but who are comfortable with a Good rather than Outstanding Ofsted rating and the need to plan for a middle school transition at age 9.

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